Students' Perceptions of and Attitudes Toward Disabilities: A Comparison of Twenty Conditions
Title:
Students' Perceptions of and Attitudes Toward Disabilities: A Comparison of Twenty Conditions
Author:
Royal, George P. Roberts, Michael C.
Appeared in:
Journal of clinical child and adolescent psychology
Paging:
Volume 16 (1987) nr. 2 pages 122-132
Year:
1987-06-01
Contents:
We investigated students' perceptions of 20 different disabilities in a within-subject design. Two between-subjects variables were also employed: (a) sex of the participant, and (b) grade level (3, 6, 9, 12, or college). Participants were read a brief definition of each disability, and were then asked to rate the disability in terms of its visibility, severity, acceptability, and familiarity. The results indicated that (a) 6th and 12th graders were significantly more accepting than 3rd graders; (b) in general, females were more accepting than males, with males giving significantly higher ratings of severity to four disabilities than did females; and (c) 3rd graders gave the highest ratings of visibility, lowest ratings of familiarity, and lowest ratings of acceptability. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Journal description